A Fair Exchange
by tzaya
Summary: "Let me in tonight," Izaya outstretched an arm towards Shizuo, all fingers folded except his pinky to convince Shizuo he was speaking the truth, "I promise I'll be good."


_**Ding dong.**_

Shizuo grumbled in annoyance, stumbling out of the bathroom as he pulled the waistband of his pants up, towel hanging around his neck and hair still dripping wet from shower. He'd just gotten home twenty minutes ago since Tom let him and Varona off work early, having heard that a snowstorm was coming to Ikebukuro. It was only after spending fifteen minutes of sitting around that he actually decided to clean up. And now, a potentially annoying person was interrupting his relaxing shower time? What a nuisance.

"I swear, if you're that insurance promoter agai-" Shizuo complained, only to have his words cut short upon meeting the sight before him.

First his gaze fell on raven hair, and soon a familiar pair of eyes -that always had malice swimming in the deep crimson orbs-, drawing his instincts to kick in when the corners of Izaya's lips curled into a smile. Izaya was trembling from the cold, little speckles of snowflakes dusting his favorite coat. But Shizuo didn't take notice of that.

All he could think of was he had to put a distance between them.

"Hello, Shizu-chan."

A slamming sound was what the door should've made but Izaya splayed his palms flat against it, pushing forward in order to keep the door open when Shizuo made an attempt to close it. He then used his whole body once Shizuo figured out what Izaya was doing and promptly tried to push back. He really was using his whole stamina there, but he couldn't stop just yet. Shizuo was his only chance after Shinra kicked him out for some alone time with Celty.

"Don't you want to invest in Happy Happy Insurance? If you subscribe, you can enjoy various benefits, even for your family," Izaya huffed with a grin painted on his face, seeming to be having a hard time battling with Shizuo's strength, "You can pay in installments, it's just 230,000 yen!"

"Not today." seethed Shizuo inwardly, jaw clenching at how persistent Izaya proved to be.

"I'm sure we can come to an agreement—"

"Sure, one which includes you getting out of here!"

Izaya had to stifle an incoming yelp when Shizuo almost squished his hand by the doorframe. He angled his body to the side and forced his shoulder against the door, taking a step closer to give another try. It'd all be over if he was to allow Shizuo to shut the door. Izaya was not ready to declare his loss, even with a headache pounding away inside his temples from over-exerting himself.

"I'll stay out of Ikebukuro for a week?"

His offer seemed to catch Shizuo's attention, his movement stilling and Izaya continued further before Shizuo changed his mind.

"Let me in tonight," Izaya outstretched an arm towards Shizuo, all fingers folded except his pinky to convince Shizuo he was speaking the truth, "I promise I'll be good." After all, Izaya often stayed true to his words.

"You better keep your promise."

Shizuo sighed inwardly, moving away so Izaya could get in. He wondered if he just made a mistake of putting his trust in Izaya. However, if Izaya was being truthful for once, it'd be nice to get a week of peace. There'd still be annoying debtors with their ridiculous stories of why they didn't have money to pay, but that was still bearable compared to dealing with Orihara Izaya.

"Do you have a kotatsu?" Izaya opened the door to Shizuo's bedroom, gaze darting from one corner to another in search of the table. There weren't much in the room—only a bed, a wardrobe, and a few shelves.

"No."

"Can I borrow some clothes, then?"

"No."

"Shizu-chan!"

"I'm letting you stay here, isn't that enough?"

"If I'm not satisfied with the treatment, I'll come to Ikebukuro for every day of the week."

"What's new about that…" muttered Shizuo to himself as he lain on the couch, resting his cheek in his palm and flicking the TV open with the remote. It didn't take long at all for Izaya to come back into the living room, and with a glance at his arch-enemy who came to stand between him and the TV, he found Izaya clad in his clothes. A baby blue sweatshirt and flannel pajama pants. Both the sleeves and pant legs were too long on him.

"What are you watching?"

"Nothing. Now shut up."

"You're so boring." Izaya shook his head as he sat on the floor, "There's no kotatsu, stuck with Shizu-chan, no one picked up my calls, Shinra kicked me out, Namie ditched me, and I'm cold. Can it get any worse?"

He looked over his shoulder to find Shizuo ignoring him, eyes glued to the screen instead of Izaya, which made Izaya frown. An idea popped up in his mind and he climbed over onto the couch as well, pressing his body against Shizuo leisurely. Anyone else would've been too scared to act this way, but Izaya was daring. Almost immediately, Shizuo's glare bore through him but he made no attempt to shove Izaya off of him.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm just keeping warm!"

Izaya exhaled a sigh of contentment, nudging his nose into the crook of Shizuo's neck. He knew he was playing with fire, but that gave him the thrill he couldn't get enough of. And Shizuo was warm, which was unbelievable considering Izaya felt like he was about to freeze even though they were indoors. He didn't know how Shizuo could survive wearing a short sleeved shirt in this weather, but now he understood.

"Looks like now's a good time to kill you." He heard Shizuo whisper in his ear.

"Not if I do it first."

Izaya smiled against Shizuo's skin, and it came off as a surprise to Shizuo to feel metal against the nape of his neck, Izaya's fingers gripping the shaft of his switchblade tightly in case Shizuo decided to wrestle it from him. But Shizuo only growled, circling his arms around Izaya's back and holding Izaya close in his embrace. It'd been awhile since he last held someone like this. It was truly a nice feeling after the long years filled with loneliness. He never thought skin contact could feel so comforting.

Unbeknownst to him, Izaya had the same thoughts as he settled himself comfortably on top of Shizuo, chest resting on Shizuo's abdomen and eyes fluttering shut.

It didn't take them long to drift to sleep.

The next day, Shizuo woke up to a blanket covering him and warmth lingering on his body from Izaya's own last night. There was also the familiar scent of Izaya that he hated so much, yet no signs of Izaya anywhere in his house—Shizuo thought he must've left as soon as the storm cleared in the morning. In fact, there were no signs of Izaya for whole seven days.

Izaya really did keep his promise.


End file.
